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Snapchat doesn't own your photos, videos and messages

Snapchat has squashed rumours that its updated privacy policy gives it total control and ownership of user content.

Rumours that spread on social media had suggested the updated policy handed Snapchat ownership of all photos, videos and messages sent over the service. The online chatter was also picked up by The Telegraph and Sydney Morning Herald, with the former claiming the update allowed Snapchat to do "whatever it likes" with user content.

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But Snapchat has now said the reports were false, and reiterated that its privacy policy was in line with those used by other similar apps and services. "Your personal communications continue to remain truly personal," a statement from the company read. The company explained that its license to share user content only extended to services such as Live Stories. "Snapchat is not -- and never has been -- stockpiling your private Snaps or Chats," the statement continued. "And because we continue to delete them from our servers as soon as they're read, we could not -- and do not -- share them with advertisers or business partners."

While reports last week may have been alarmist, Snapchat does still have a great deal of control over content created by users. It maintains the right to use Snapchat content for Live Stories, for example, and can share them "around the world and even replay them or syndicate them". But such permissions, the company was at pains to point out, were also present in previous privacy policies.

Reporting on the changes, The Telegraph claimed Snapchat had given itself permission to use content "anywhere in the world, with no restrictions, on all media distribution channels, forever".

In response, Snapchat said "Snaps and Chats" remained "as private today as they were before the update". But the vague and broad wording of its policy, which likely led to last week's reports, may remain cause for concern.

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This isn't the first time that ownership over content created in apps has proved controversial. In December 2012, Instagram was forced to renege on an update that gave it permission to include user photos in advertising.

At the time, founder Kevin System apologised for the misjudgement and said such changes would be better explained in the future.

As Snapchat admitted in its response to last week's reports, these permissions are "common to services like ours".